Monday Morning Drying Out
Good Monday Morning! I hope you got some rain if you wanted it, and didn’t if you didn’t.
Even though it dampened my outing Sunday morning, I was able to get a Texas Fly Fishing Report done while I was waiting around for the rain to stop.
It stopped just long enough to lull me into a false sense of security, then came pouring down after I sheltered in place – in a cove on the west side of Lake Ray Roberts. Of course, I forgot my rain gear.
At least things are normalizing around here. Fish are being found, and caught. The heat is on. The lakes are down to normal levels. It may be a couple of months delayed, but this may be the new normal?
SKIFF TWEAKING
One of the best things about that trip to Port O’Connor last month was learning a lot about shallow – I mean crazy skinny – skiff running. And the first thing I started obsessing over was my skiff’s setup, and especially the outboard motor height. I don’t have a jackplate (yet), so I went ahead and lifted the motor one peg on Friday (want to know how? just ask). I cannot believe what a difference that made with the way the skiff runs now – I think I gained about ten-percent on the top end and it freed up some angle as well.
The only thing I can’t figure out is why I didn’t try this sooner! I don’t think the skiff would go another inch in motor height, and that’s all that is left. I DO WONDER what performance will be with a heavier load, and that is when a jackplate could be the ticket. The lesson learned is: when you get a boat, it is stock. Builders don’t tune them to any extent, except to the point where they know it will work. Optimizing a skiff is up to the captain.
I guess after four years of having the skiff, I can make a few improvements! I still try to adhere to efficiency and have things on board serve more than one purpose whenever possible. It’s kind of the “Wally Byam Airstream Philosophy.”
Thanks for reading, and be sure to watch the video if you want to get a little more information on fly fishing conditions in Texas.
Category: Fishing Reports, North Texas, Texas Gulf Coast, Texas Hill Country, Texas Report
